Kairat Almaty could be without three key players for the first leg of their Champions League play-off against Celtic at Parkhead due to UK visa issues. [RecordSport]
Centre-back Yegor Sorokin, who has been a mainstay in the Kazakh side’s run through six qualifiers so far, is among those facing an anxious wait. The Russian international must apply for a UK visa, with government sanctions on Russian nationals still in place following the invasion of Ukraine in February 2023.
Kairat also have two Belarusian players in their squad – Valery Gromyko and Alyaksandr Martynovich – who may encounter similar restrictions when it comes to entering the UK. The potential absence of all three would be a significant blow for the visitors as they prepare for the opening leg in Glasgow.
The tie kicks off in Glasgow before the return leg in Almaty, with a gruelling 7,000-mile round trip and a five-hour time difference adding to the challenge for Brendan Rodgers’ side.
Brendan Rodgers has admitted that he would have preferred to face Slovan Bratislava:
“Of course, everyone would have preferred a shorter travelling distance, but they got through, they won the tie, so we’ll play the first game of our two legs and our objective is to get through.
“We can really analyse them now and be prepared for the first leg next week.”
Celtic faced the side last season in the Champions League, beating them 5-1 in the opening match of the league stage.
It’s a lot of travelling for Celtic, but it’s something that just has to be done.
